Art Director to Academic Cheerleader

Turns out, I became genuinely invested in these students' success.

The Mid-Semester Entry

Joining a course halfway through always feels a bit awkward – like showing up to a party where everyone already knows each other. But these students made it easy. They were open to feedback and willing to iterate on their ideas, which honestly made my job more enjoyable than I expected.

What surprised me was how quickly I found myself looking forward to seeing their progress each week. There's something satisfying about watching someone take a suggestion and run with it in a direction you never would have thought of.

The Juggling Act

Balancing my full-time art director role with tutoring has been interesting. My day job keeps me connected to industry realities – client demands, tight deadlines, budget constraints. But teaching lets me focus purely on the creative process without those commercial pressures.

The students ask questions that make me think differently about my own work, while I can share real-world insights about what they're likely to encounter once they graduate. It's been a surprisingly good exchange.

The Results

The two shows they just completed turned out really well. Watching their concepts develop from initial sketches to polished final pieces reminded me why I enjoyed being a student myself. There's something energising about seeing fresh perspectives tackle creative challenges.

Each project felt like a small victory – not just for them, but for the collaborative process we'd developed over the semester.

I'm planning to continue teaching next year. It's become a nice counterbalance to commercial work, and frankly, these students have kept me more engaged with design trends and experimental approaches than I might have been otherwise.

To my students: you've produced work that's genuinely ready for the professional world. The creative industry is about to get some talented new voices.